Album Review: All Pigs Must Die - 'Nothing Violates this Nature'

All Pigs Must Die first blew listeners away with their debut self-titled EP in 2010, before putting out an equally striking full-length a year later. A hardcore supergroup of sorts, the band is the morbidly aggressive lovechild of The Hope Conspiracy's Kevin Baker, Ben Koller of Converge as well as Adam Wentworth and Matt Woods, both of Bloodhorse. Combining the unchained energy of Baker and Koller's hardcore roots while infusing a healthy burst of crust-punk rawness, doom metal riffage and even a slight melodic edge, sophomore album 'Nothing Violates this Nature' manages to retain skull-shattering heaviness with enough versatility to avoid growing stale.

APMD opt for immediate intensity as an introduction, openers 'Chaos Arise' and 'Silencer' waste no time setting the tone with fast-paced, frenetic drumwork and savage, technical guitar lines. Baker snarls tortured vitriol with an aura of unhinged violence – he's simply never sounded this ferocious vocally. After this relatively brief burst of energy however, the band begin to delve a little deeper into the tapestry they've equipped themselves with, slowing the pace down a little to explore stoner/doom aesthetics. 'Primitive Fear' is still angry and visceral, but underneath that layer of brute force are stylings reminiscent of Sleep or Electric Wizard.

What becomes apparent is the band's knack at combining their rage with their impressively ambitious range of influences. Take 'Of Suffering' - it's a sinister, slow-burning effigy of hatred that's nowhere near as energetic or fast-paced as the rest of the tracks, but the band sound by far at their most intimidating – and certainly most grim. Likewise, 'Aquim Seige', at just over one minute, is just a pulverising sonic assault that refuses to give time for a breather.

With 'Nothing Violates This Nature', All Pigs Must Die shake off any suggestion they're mere products of their pedigree, and firmly establish themselves as a proud, vicious entity in their own right, unreasonably pissed off and uncompromising. The album, along with labelmates Nails' brilliant 'Abandon All Life', further cements Southern Lord's title as premier purveyors of brilliant metallic hardcore this year.

1. Chaos Arise

2. Silencer

3. Primitive Fear

4. Bloodlines

5. Of Suffering

6. Holy Plague

7. Aquim Siege

8. Sacred Nothing

9. Faith Eater

10. Articles Of Human Weakness